If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I need to change my soil mixes. The current mix I am using is not working for me. I use perlite and peat 50/50 and mix well with distilled water till moist. The cp's I transfer die maybe not after a couple weeks but months. The soil turns brownish green then the plants becomes weak. After awhile all my cp's that I have transplanted have later died that year . I want to know if any of you all have had this problem with the mix of peat and perlite?

My main question is what kind of sand do you all use for cps? The kind that pft uses and other stores in which you seen cps. What is the name of the soil and brand and mixes you use? Where can you purchase it?

Hi Travis. When i first repotted my VFT and S. minor a year ago, i observed a terrific response from the plants. I don't even remember now what mix i made, except that it had peat and perlite in it.

However, some plants i received bareroot and potted in a peat/sand or peat/perlite mix this year have done very poorly. It seems to me that the peat must be very irregular in purity or quality. All i remember about the peat i used that worked well is that it came from a large bale.

Tamlin suggests getting sand at pool supply stores, because silica sand is used in filtration. I think that's good advice, although i haven't tried to find a pool supply store in the frozen NE yet.

You might try cocopeat. I intend to try out some of the "alternative" media components like that at some point. I have some stone wool i was given that looks interesting, too.

ScottyChaos, do you use lfs for all your plants? I was under the impression that some CPs did poorly in lfs. Where do you get it in sufficient bulk to use as your primary mix?

I wonder if it's really the effect of the peat but the neps that I repot in pure LFS recovers in 2-3 days and continue their growth....the ones in sphagnum peat get stunned and won't grow for a couple of weeks!

I use sphagnum moss (the New Zealand kind) and it works great for my N. ventricosa but have not used it for my vfts. Maybe next Spring I will try that with one of my vfts. I do not think sphagnum moss would be great for sundews? What soil combo would work for sundews?

D muscipula
Where can you get cocopeat? I may want see what it looks like...besides internet looking.

WildBill

Quote

My VFTs and sundews are in 50:50 peatmoss mixed with sand ('playsand' in a 50 lb bag from Home Depot). I also use this for my mini-bogs.
[/QUOTE]
Works good? What is your secret?

Quote

I gave up on all peat mixes a few years ago..
I tried pure peat, and 50/50 peat and sand (never tried perlite)[/QUOTE]

I am starting hear you...I have bad luck too. I am thinking sphagnum moss instead. I was thinking at first sand and peat?

With few exceptions Sphagnum moss is an ideal medium for most all CP. Yeah, there are exceptions, but as a general rule of thumb, mine is "thumbs up". Drosera love the stuff. I have the best luck with fresh live moss that has been milled in a food processor. Moistened dead moss will also mill like this, providing an excellent loose medium. It's also ideal for seed germination.

I generally use 1/2 - 3/4 pot of peat/sand mix that has been well rinsed, with a top dressing of the above milled moss. The live moss discourages algae and other opportunistic organisms. Pure LFS however is a little deficient in micro nutrients in my opinion. Although we stress the need for a lack of these nutrients in the mix, no plant should be completely without them, so I always incorporate some of this mix as well. After a season the moss will begin to make heads, and must be kept trimmed. That is the major drawback to the use of LFS: eventually it will grow, and then attention must be given so it doesn't overwhelm the plants. Live milled moss is good for about one season of carefree use.

I am suspicious of pearlite, since I always encounter algae with its use (unless it is a trace amount). I dont know why, but i assume there are more salts in the pearlite than are found on pure silica sand. I use it, but usually in drier epiphitic mixes, or in cases where aeration is mandatory. Some preliminary experiments show the use of red cedar or redwood mulch may be better as an aerator of the mixes. I am experimenting, and so far the plants are doing well in such a mix. It's only been about a year I have tried it though.

The "brownish/green" build up on the soil Travis mentions is an indicator that all is not well with the mix. Pots with this look should be watered from above repeatedly, daily, to flush nutrients from the media, otherwise there will be all sorts of negative consequences. A temporary topdressing of milled live moss may be effective in killing any algae starting to grow, esp. if watered from the top: the natural high acidity of LFS acts as an antibacterial agent, and screens the medium from light which favors the growth of opportunistic moss and algae. Generally, if the condition persists over 2 weeks, I repot whatever was in it into fresh medium since in my experience plants growing in that situation rarely prosper, and often die when their roots are attacked by anaerobic processes and harmful microrganisms.

i use a 50/50 mix of peat and perlite its ok to use but sometimes i get problems with it because alage sometimes forms , the plant get completly covered in it when i water them , its messy , and the perlite floats on the water so i am also thinking about repotting my plants during winter . all i can find at stores that can beused for cps is perlite and peat , i've found 50 lbs of play sand so i plan on using that soon but i really want to find silica sand . any body know where i can find silica sand , the next best thing to silica sand that they have at the stres is a quart bag of horticultural sand which ix very expensive and also does any body know where i can find lfs , i can't find it any where , i can only find in on the internet : www.mosserlee.com , but it seems expensive .